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Northwinds — Circles (Démos et Merveilles)
(Black Widow BWR 268, 2025, CD / LP)

by Henry Schneider, Published 2025-05-02

Circles (Démos et Merveilles) Cover art

Northwinds, a French doom metal band formed in the late 90s, has released their latest chapter of Black Sabbath-influenced dirge rock, Circles (Démos et Merveilles). Midway through composing and recording Circles, Northwinds’ founder, vocalist, and drummer Sylvain Auvé passed away, so some of the tracks remain essentially demos, though you would not know it from listening to the album. In point of fact, the only track that approaches sounding like a demo is the album closer, a cover of Black Sabbath’s “Peace of Mind.” The lineup for Circles was Sylvain Auvé (drums and vocals), Thomas Bastide (guitar), Thomas Boivin (bass), Pierre Champy (flute), and Emmanuel Peyraud (keyboards). Northwinds’ approach to doom metal is heavily influenced by Black Sabbath, with Sylvain sounding quite a bit like Ozzy on most of the tracks — “Lord of Stones” is the only song where Sylvain’s vocals do not evoke this comparison. The whole album is a set of heavy dark gothic prog songs that vary from the simple to the complex, characterized by distorted dirge guitar chords and dark organ passages. “Peace of Mind,” with its 60 cycle hum, is a brutal and accurate cover that fades away to drums, then cymbals, and finally a short bass solo. If you yearn for the that heady 70s-80s Black Sabbath sound, you will enjoy Circles.

Filed under: Archives, 2025 releases

Related artist(s): Northwinds

 

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